beach

It didn’t take long for us to feel at home at The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort. The only beach front hotel on St. Simons Island greeted us with the most beautiful beach castle elevation, surrounded by palm trees and Spanish moss. The Lobby, which was recently renovated in 2013, is just beautiful and has the most stunning interior design. We checked into a North Beach Villa with two bedrooms and two baths, with a fully equipped kitchen and large living area. It was perfect for our little family for the long weekend. They have a lot of other great options on the property, from single rooms to guest houses. Cove and I immediately found the big bed with the ocean view and made ourselves comfortable. It didn’t take long before he was jumping up and down and we made a little game out of it. We got very little sleep this trip due to a very active and excited toddler, so a comfortable bed made a world of difference when we did finally get some shut eye. A lot…

Sorry… I’m about to get sappy. Looking through these pictures has me so incredibly thankful. Three years ago, Ian and I sat on the beach talking about how one day we will have littles running around while we sat in the sand. We talked about the memories we’d make, how different our time and energy would be spent, and how we we’re hopeful we would be blessed with that family we’d dreamed about. We’ve traveled quite a bit with Cove already, but relaxing at the beach brought all those memories back from those conversations we had a few years ago. This trip has been exactly what we needed. It seems like right before every vacation, everything seems to get crazy and Ian has to work crazy hours all the way up to the day before we leave. By the time the vacation actually gets here, we’re so ready for it and the hustle to get there makes everything worth it. So far, we’ve napped, played, swam, baked in the sun, ate our hearts out, and made some incredible memories together.…

It’s no secret I’ve been obsessed with yellow this summer. Mustard, golden and honey. Especially this honey dress from Thistle & Finn. I love the criss cross details and the boho feel of the layers at the bottom. I wore it on a double date the other night, and it was a perfect day to night dress. I just threw a long crotchet cardigan over it and paired it with some strappy sandals. You probably remember Thistle & Finn from this post here. Their clothing is made well and is perfect for a bohemian look. We’re headed to the beach soon, and the timing of this trip could not be any more perfect. We are in some desperate need of time for just the three of us. The salty air and the sound of the waves is just what the doctor ordered. We are definitely beach people, and I often ask myself why we don’t just pack up and move there. This trip, since Cove is not as little, I am hoping to pack way less than last time. If you…

I promise, I will stop posting about California after this. (Until our next trip…) But, I did save the best for last. On our last day, we enjoyed soaking up the beaches around where we were staying in Dana Point. We didn’t really make plans to see anything in particular. We knew on the last day we would want some time to just soak up the things we loved. After lunch in Laguna, we drove up the coast a ways to Newport Beach to enjoy the scenic drive and let Cove sleep. On our way back, Ian told me he had a surprise for when we got back. A few months before our trip, I had mentioned how I wanted to dedicate Cove on the beach at some point. A little after Cove was born, we dedicated him formally at our church in front of friends and family, but I still wanted just the three of us to do something special together. Ian, being the gem of a husband and father he is, had remembered me mentioning it and surprised me by taking us to one of…

Some of my favorite trips are the last minute, spontaneous ones because we have to buckle down and get all the logistics planned quickly, then we’re off while still on the high / excitement of planning the trip. Now I love planned trips too (we typically have two trips a year that are planned months out), but there’s just something about jumping on a plane a few days later and throwing yourself into the flow of whatever happens, happens. It was just Jimmy and I for this trip though. You’ve seen him, Jen and their little guy on this blog a lot. Obviously their our best friends and we’re very close with them, so when Jimmy called me a week and a half ago and said he was flying to San Diego for 4 days on business and to pack my bags, I vetted it quickly with Victoria and 3 days later, we landed in the beautiful city of San Diego in my favorite state, California. We worked. We played. We drove around for hours in a Jeep Wrangler with…

It’s sweet summertime and everyone is headed to the beach! I had a few people reach out to me about how we managed a baby at the beach. (Cove was just four months old when we took him to meet the ocean – which you can see here) So I thought I would share just a few of the things that made taking Cove to the beach so much easier.

I was so excited to escape for a little getaway with our family. I was even more excited to take Cove to the beach for the first time. If you didn’t already know, our family loves the beach. We were really hoping Cove would too, and he did! He loved watching the waves and feeling the sand between his toes. It was such a relaxing time for us, and was much needed alone time. There is something so rejuvenating about being near the water. For me, its the sense of how vast and big it is. It reminds you that your problems are so small compared to the greatness of God and His will for our lives. It also is a reminder to me of faith, of Peter walking on water, and how sometimes we can get caught up in the waves of life instead of really focusing on God and his promises. It’s breathtaking to think about. We spent our days walking along the beach and our evenings in downtown Charleston walking around. Wild Dunes was one of locations…

Last week, we took took a trip to Seaside Beach, with some of our closest friends. We had the best time relaxing on the beach and hanging out around the town. Seaside is a quaint southern community with beautiful homes, streets full of vintage bikes, and of course white sand and blue seas. Some of my favorite stops were The Great Southern Cafe, Donut Hole, the The Melt Down (a grilled cheese food truck,) and 723 Whisky Bravo. We will definitely be taking a trip back down. Here are some photos from the week.

Hello!

We are Ian and Victoria: Jesus followers, husband and wife, father and mother, photo takers, travelers and adventure seekers. This is a little glimpse into our lives in Atlanta, GA and around the world.